Rarlensee Nelson notched New Orleans' first double-double of the season in an 88-70 loss
to Duquesne on Saturday night at the A.J. Palumbo Center.

The national leader in assists per 40 minutes, Nelson added 10 points to
a 10-assist effort for UNO (2-5). The game was Nelson's third of the
season with at least 10 assists.

Lovell Cook scored 12 points for the Privateers, who fell for the third straight game. Cory Dixon added another 11 points with Isaac Mack answering the call in his first start by matching his career-high with nine points.

Duquesne (5-4) was led by Sean Johnson with 21 points. Derrick Colter
added 17 points to lead a group of three other players in double-figures
for the Dukes, who were playing UNO for the first time in school
history.

The hosts took advantage of a 54-28 rebounding edge for the contest,
enabling Duquesne to outscore the Privateers 23-7 on second chance
opportunities.

Mack started out early for UNO, accounting for half of the squad's first
eight points as the Privateers grabbed an early 8-4 advantage. Duquesne
responded with an 11-0 run before Cory Dixon ended the spurt by the hosts with a field goal for UNO, ending a three-minute stretch without a basket.

The Dukes remained in control, growing their lead to a first half high
of 17 points with 1:51 remaining. The hosts would not score again
through the halftime buzzer as Nelson posted the half's final three
points to pull the Privateers within 14 at 53-39 to enter the break.

Cook connected on all three of his field goal attempts in the second
half after shooting 1 of 5 prior to the intermission. The senior
forward's efforts offensively allowed UNO to come within a possession of
cutting the deficit to single digits through the first 13 minutes of
the second half.

Duquesne continued to deny the Privateers a chance to get to single
digits. UNO's flirtation with a single-digit deficit came to a
conclusion when Evans Ganapamo drained a jump with 6:16 left, cutting the Dukes' edge to 76-64.

The hosts would go without a field goal for the game's final 2:10 after
gaining a game-high lead of 22 points. UNO scored the final four points,
including a three-pointer from Max Banchy to provide the final score.

The Privateers are slated to return home for a 7 p.m. contest on
Wednesday night at Lakefront Arena against Nicholls State. The “Holiday
Cheer” game will feature a special halftime performance by the 610
Stompers, the national anthem sung by UNO alumna Robin Barnes and
in-game performances by the One Mind Brass Band.

NOTES

Rarlensee Nelson's double-double was the first of his career and first for a member of the UNO roster since Antonio Wertz scored 17 points and pulled down 10 rebounds at Southern (N.O.) on Feb. 18, 2012.

UNO's bench claimed a 30-25 victory over Duquesne on Saturday night,
improving to 6-0-1 record when comparing their scoring to opponents'
reserves. UNO is 27-10-2 all-time under Slessinger if strictly
considering bench scoring.

The 39 points in the first half were the most scored by the Privateers
in the first 20 minutes of game against an NCAA Division I opponent
this season, eclipsing the 34 against Southeast Missouri on Nov. 29. The
point production was also the most against a Division I squad for UNO
in an opening half since posting 44 against ULM on Feb. 18, 2010.